Artificial insemination

2. AI: in Case of Amhara Region
What looks like??
Visit Report
– Livestock and fishery development office
– Regional AI center

3. Introduction
Strategies of dairy Genetic improvement in Amhara
region is through
Introduction of temperate breeds
Cross breeding
o Through AI (following natural heat and mass
Synchronization)
» World wide semen
» Sexed semen
o Bull service

4. Introduction cont…,
Crossbreeding is practiced to combine superior hardiness, heat
tolerance, disease cattle with superior high milk yield, faster
growth rates and early maturity of exotic, temperate breeds
Mainly cross breeding program is assisted by Artificial
insemination.
AI is a process by which sperm is collected from the
male, processed, stored, and artificially introduced into
the female reproductive tract for the purpose of
conception.

5. Introduction cont…,
Semen is collected from the bull, deep-frozen and
stored in a container with Liquid Nitrogen at a
temperature of -196 degrees Centigrade and made for
use.
AI has become one of the most important techniques
ever devised for the genetic improvement of farm
animals.
It has been widely used for breeding dairy cattle as the
most valuable management practice available to the
cattle producer

6. Introduction cont…,
Artificial insemination has a wide range of applications
Genetic improvement
Wide spread availability of genetically superior sires
Disease control
Cost
However, for a better AI achievements
Estrus detection must be good
Better handling and care of semen
Training required to handle semen and breed cow
Perfect recording keeping

7. Introduction cont…,
For the last the many decades artificial insemination is
practiced in Ethiopia as well as in Amhara region.
Different researches also conducted to study success
rate of AI.
However, different results were reported by different
scholars.
Therefore we conduct a visit at Amhara regional
livestock and fishery development office and AI center
to take a lesson about the status of AI in the region

8. Objective of visit
To over see the status of AI in the region through regional
livestock and fishery development report
The visit the process of semen production and dissemination at
Bahir Dar AI center

9. The status of AI in Amhara region (filed visit)
Region potential for Artificial insemination
1. More than 400 AI technicians
Regular (Gove)
Private
Trained farmers
Milk cooperatives

10. Region potential for Artificial insemination cont…
2. Liquid Nitrogen processing plant
Gonder, Bahir Dar and Dessie: Production capacity: 3
litter/hour
Debre Markos: Production capacity: 9 litter/hour

11. Liquid Nitrogen production (Bahir Dar AI Center)
The Machine Parts and processing
The ambient air consists of 21% oxygen, 78% Nitrogen and
1% other gasses.
Production almost nitrogen is therefore simply a matter of
filtering the oxygen out of the compressed air.
The ambient air enters the compressor to be compressed
to a higher pressure.
Parts:
Compressor
Cry Generator
Cooler
Capacity: 3litters/ hour Vs 10 liters/hour

12. Semen production and Distribution at Bahir Dar AI
Center
Objective of the center
Production and distribution of AI inputs
AI technician training and certification

13. Semen production and processing at Bahir Dar AI center
Semen collection
Bull
Teaser bull /
dummy cow/
AV / Artificial
Vagina/
Stanchion
Semen processing
Semen Lab. Technologist
Semen laboratory
Water bath
Stero Microscope / motility/
Life extender
Semen counter
Filling & Sealing machine
Cooling tanker
Storage tanker

14. Semen storage
AI equipment distributer
Semen /Mother container
Liquid Nitrogen
Semen / frozen/
Different insemination
inputs
Semen distribution
One bull semen for two
years in the same locations
75% HF and 25% Fogera for
Fogera native areas and 75%
HF and 25% Begait for
northern part of the region
and Ethiopia
Different insemination
inputs

15. Semen processing and evaluation
Physical test (Bloody, watery and hair is rejected)
Mass (1-4), 3-4, accepted) and individual motility (100%), <70%
rejected : Higher magnification
Concentration, (<500 million, rejected)
PH test (6-7 accepted): Photometer

16. Cooling (-4 oc)
Printing Mini Straws and Semen packaging, 20 million per straw
(Bull ID, batch number, date, breed , Blood level)
Cooling (-140 oc)
Cooling (-196 oc) and store under -196

17. Dissemination
Semen distribution modality
HF 100%
Jersey 100%
HF 75% (Begait, Fogera and Boran)
Semen of one sire is distributed for two years in similar zones
and districts
After that the sire is changed to control inbreeding

18. Achievements of BDR AI center for the past 7 years

19. Insemination
List of artificial insemination equipments
Item description Qtty Functions
A Constant equipments
1 Large LN container 1/2 To hold LN2 (35 liters)
2 Small LN container 1 To hold LN2 (2/3/5 liters & frozen semen)
3 Thermo flask 1 To hold warm water
4 AI gun ( 0.25/0.5 cc) 2/3 To load semen straw
5 Cutter/Scissors 1 To cut sealed straw
6 Tweezers /Forceps 1 To hold and withdraw the straw
7 Thermometer 1 To measure the water temperature
8 Sheath barrel 1 To hold the sheath
9 Timer / Disco hand watch/Mobile 1 To count the time/second
10 AI bag /Leather/ 1 To hold all AI equipments
11 Motorbike/Motor cycle 1 To move from place to place
B Consumable AI equipments
1 Protective cloths /PPE/ 1 To protect AIT and the heated cow
2 Sheath /SPS/ 50 To cover the straw
3 Arm length glove 100 To the inseminated cow & the technician
4 Towel/Soft paper 1 To sweep the straw
5 Lubricants 1 To lubricate the glove and hand
6 Warm water / 37 0 c / 1 To initiate the hibernated spermatozoa
7 Semen holding straw 1 To hold the semen
8 AI certificate 1 To record the inseminated cow/heifer data
9 AI recording book 1 To record the inseminated cow/heifer data

20. From Heat to calf (45 days=certified)= AIT training

21. Artificial insemination procedures
First take history of the cow/heifer
Wear the Personal protection clothe
Check the cow heated properly or not
Prepare all AI equipments if the cow is heated
Prepare the water temperature 37 degree centigrade
Withdraw the semen containing straw and insert to warm water
to 30 seconds
Clean the straw with towel / soft paper
Load the warmed straw to the AI gun

22. Artificial insemination procedures cont…,
Cut the sealed part of the straw and test / check the semen to
out.
Cover the loaded gun with sheath
Immediately insert the assembled gun through vagina with in 3
minutes
Put the semen on the uterine body of uterus by passing the
cervix
Draw back the gun and massage the clitoris part of the vulva
Dispose the served consumable equipments to the garbage
Record the data on the AI certificate and AI recording book
Advise to follow the inseminated cow

23. Success of AI in the region

24. Genetic improvement achievements (2001-2013)
(source: AR Livestock office Report)
year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013Total
AIS 35540 28177 24110 39528 41950 65132 50113 47270 79904 69628 76776 89015 96743743886
Calved 12568 10212 8089 21444 17436 17967 33492 26983 27508 32120 36179 45446 45642335086
CR% 35.3 36.2 33.5 54.2 41.5 27.5 66.8 57.1 34.4 46.1 47.1 51.1 47.2 45.1
Bull
service 13648 18545 36372 57695 60142 78952106849108981131578134194746956
Calved 1564 12594 14174 27219 25754 36319 49881 54254 57943 71645351347
CR% 11.5 67.9 38.9 47.7 42.8 46 46.6 49.7 44 53.3 47
A 13 year report indicated that higher calving rate is recoded in 2007 and 2008
E.C, respectively, which is impressive result in the history AI in the region. This
is higher than the result reported by kassahun et al., (2021), in which the
calving rate from the inseminated caws in Amhara region was 53.4%.
The other interesting point here is that CR of AI is slightly equal with calving
rate of Bull service.
AIS: Artificial insemination service; CR%: calving rate percentage

25. Genetic improvement achievements trend (2001-2013)
(source: AR Livestock office Report)
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
160000
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
ACR BCR AI service Bull service

26. AI Vs Bull service Achievements (2022)
Zone W/G /E/G S/G Awi C/G N/G W/G S/W N/W N/S ORO BDR GDR
Dessi
e Wag Total
AIS 18014 18623 12478 7836 5854 988 0 7332 2498 12033 113 5262 1513 948 83 93575
AIC 6403 10108 5233 3595 2350 680 0 4609 2182 6832 37 2306 818 558 41 45752
CR% 35.5 54.3 41.9 45.8 40.1 68.8 62.8 87.3 56.7 32.7 43.8 54.1 58.8 49.3 48.9
Bull 16886 18924 13947 5622 8584 2728 0 20078 12290 21182 88 364 2316 952 597

27. Number of cows inseminated, conceived and calved; conception and calving rates
in Amhara, Oromia, SNNP and Tigray Regions (Kassahun Melesse etal., 2020)

28. Problems associated with low AI efficiency
Technical efficiency of technicians
Poor heat detection, palpation
Poor filed semen handling
Poor cow management of pre and post insemination
Cow selection problems
Silent heat in zebu cattle
less structural linkage between AI Center and service giving units,

29. Problems associated with low AI efficiency
Absence of collaborations and regular communications
between NAIC and stakeholders
Lack of herd recording system
Inadequate resource in terms of inputs and facilities
Absence of incentives and rewards to motivate AI
technicians
The limitations of the number of AI centers
Lack of the supply of AI materials

30. Sexed semen on pilot areas
Location
insemin
ated
repeate
d
insemin
ation
concei
ved
Birth
conception
rate
Femal
e male Total
Efficiency
of sex
Chagni
ranch 241 38 46 19.1 30 0 30 100
Dangila 99 0 22 22.2 16 1 17 94.1
S/Achefer 96 10 25 26.1 22 0 22 100
N/Achefer 90 0 36 40 36 1 37 97.2
Farta 217 0 51 23.5 12 2 14 85.7
Debre Tabor 29 0 11 37.9 3 1 4 75
Gonder 50 19 38 5 2 7 71.4
አንጎለላ 25 8 32 8 1 9 88.9
D/Birhan 25 12 48 7 1 8 87.5
Kombolcha 50 32 64 9 3 12 75
D/markos 29 17 58.6 0
Mekit 51 27 52.9 5 0 5 100
Bahir Dar 100 79 79 57 0 57 100
Dessie 50 24 48 11 0 11 100
ድምር 1152 48 409 35.5 221 12 233 94.8

31. Over all conception rate 35%, lower than AI
conception rate
Sex efficiency 95% , which is good achievements
Challenges of sexed semen application
High cost of sexed semen (1000 birr/cow)
Low conception rate
Repeated mating

32. Summary and the way forward
AI success rate > 45%, but to improve the success rate beyond
this capacity building for AI technician is very important.
The performance of liquid nitrogen plant is very low, therefore
stockholders should focus to wards strengthen those or
establishing the new ones.
Even though there are large number of technicians, still low
satisfaction for AI services delivery system, because low
motivation of technicians , discontinuation of the service on
weekends and holidays and lack of inputs.

33. Summary and the way forward cont…,
Moreover, absence of incentives and rewards to motivate AI
technicians had contributed to a very high turnover of AI
technicians all over the country
Lack of Appropriate Collaborations and Absence of Herd
Recording System also contributes for low success of AI in the
region
Low engagement of stockholders (Universities, UG of good
movement)
• Human capacity building, processing plants

34. Summary and the way forward cont…,
Stalk holder came up on the table and discuss on the status of AI in
the region, put the way for ward and act accordingly that one.
Universities should focused on capacity building (facility and
human) and start community AI service
New semen and liquid nitrogen production and distribution centers
should be established in order to satisfy the demand of the livestock
keepers

35. Thank you very much